Vladimir Putin comes to Vienna fully disarmed

Yesterday, the Russian President Vladimir Putin told the Austrian people in Vienna, why he asked the Federation Council of Russia to revoke its consent to use of military force in the Ukraine, why south-east wouldn’t disarm in the face of peaceful initiatives of Poroshenko and that they would have to negotiate in earnest. In addition, Vladimir Putin called the USA a rival of Russia in gas supplies, and their fight against South Stream a result of this competition. A special correspondent of the Kommersant Andrei Kolesnikov transmits the details from Vienna, which selflessly joined South Stream yesterday.

Members of the Russian delegation appeared in the courtyard of the Presidential Hofburg in early morning. I didn’t ask head of Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin, why he was here, although I was struck dumb: I guesses that sanctions surrounded him everywhere. But then I remembered that Europe, unlike the United States and Australia, didn’t impose sanctions against him. That is, the Europeans not only find the courage to act selectively on this occasion, but don’t act selectively too.

Head of Gazprom Alexei Miller also can impose sanctions, just in case, as against the Ukraine.

He signed an agreement with Austrian counterparts on financing, construction and operation of the Austrian section of South Stream here, in Vienna, in the morning. The section is small, 50 kilometers, but it will be constructed directly to Baumgarten, the main gas distribution center of Europe. 32 billion cubic meters of Russian gas per year will be delivered there.